Evaluation of the pharmacological activity of Pfaffia paniculata (Martius) Kuntze

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo investigar o efeito anti-inflamatório, antimicrobiano, antiprotozoário e possível ação sobre o sistema nervoso central (SNC) em ratos tratados com extrato hidroalcoólico de Pfaffia paniculata. Verificou-se atividade anti-inflamatória tanto in vivo, na dose de 100 mg/kg, como in vitro nas concentrações de 50 e 100 μg/mL. Porém, verificou-se efeito pró-inflamatório na dose de 200 mg/kg, pelo ensaio de pleurisia e de 200 μg/mL, pela quimiotaxia in vitro. Sugere-se potencial ação antimicrobiana frente a Staphylococcus aureus, nas concentrações de 250 e 500 mg/mL, com forma- ção de halo de inibição de 11 e 21 mm, respectivamente. Observou-se que o extrato de P. paniculata nas concentrações de 1, 10 e 50 μg/mL potencializou o crescimento de trofozoítos de Trichomonas vaginalis. Quanto aos ensaios sobre o SNC, verificou-se diminuição da ansiedade e aumento da atividade locomotora em animais tratados com doses de 125 e 250 mg/kg.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Anti-diabetic effects of Campomanesia xanthocarpa (Berg) leaf decoction

The objective of this research was to identify the effects of 3-week treatment of normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats using a leaf decoction of Campomanesia xanthocarpa Berg. (20 g/L) on physiological, biochemical and histological parameters. Streptozotocin (STZ, 70 mg/kg in citrate buffer, pH 4.5) was administered IP to induce experimental diabetes one week prior to the treatment. STZ caused typical diabetic symptoms: polydypsia, polyuria, polyphagia, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia and histopathological modifications in the pancreas, liver and kidney. The treatment of diabetic rats using the decoction decreased blood glucose levels, inhibited hepatic glycogen loss, and prevented potential histopathological alterations in the pancreas and kidneys. No differences were found between the control rats treated with the decoction and the control rats maintained on water only. In conclusion, these results suggest that C. xanthocarpa leaf decoction (20g/L) might be useful for diabetes mellitus management, but further pharmacological and toxicological studies are needed.O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar os efeitos do tratamento com o decocto das folhas de Campomanesia xanthocarpa Berg. (20 g/L), durante 3 semanas, sobre parâmetros fisiológicos, bioquímicos e histológicos de ratos normais e diabéticos induzidos por estreptozotocina. O diabete melito foi induzido uma semana antes de iniciar o tratamento experimental, pela administração IP de estreptozotocina (STZ, 70 mg/kg em tampão citrato, pH 4.5). Os ratos tratados com STZ apresentaram sintomas típicos de diabete: polifagia, polidipsia, hiperglicemia, hipertrigliceridemia e alterações histopatológicas no pâncreas, fígado e rim. O tratamento dos ratos diabéticos com o decocto diminuiu os níveis de glicose sanguínea, inibiu a degradação do glicogênio hepático e preveniu possíveis alterações histopatológicas no pâncreas e no rim. Nos ratos controles tratados com o decocto não foram verificadas diferenças significativas em relação aos controles tratados com água. Em conclusão, os resultados sugerem que o tratamento com o decocto das folhas de C. xanthocarpa leaf decoction (20 g/L) possa ser útil para o manejo do diabete melito, porém estudos farmacológicos e toxicológicos ainda são necessários

Earth deformation in response to surface loading : application to the formation of the Hawaiian ridge

Typescript.Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1977.Bibliography: leaves 139-147.x, 147 leaves ill., mapsThe Hawaiian Ridge represents a load on the surface of the earth. According to a hypothesis, this load is sufficient to fracture the lithosphere and thereby set up a self-propagating mechanism for the extension of the ridge. The hypothesis is based on the theory of flexure of an elastic beam. In this dissertation, the hypothesis is examined in two ways. In the first study the application of flexure theory is investigated. Previous work on Hawaii was done under the assumption that the amount of deflection caused by the loading of the islands is equivalent to the change in Moho depth. Crustal profiles based on seismic refraction suggest an alternative measurement of deflection as the change in depth of the boundary between the basement and oceanic layers. This alternative implies the existence of an unflexed portion of the crust which represents the difference between the basement-oceanic and Moho displacements and which effectively lessens the load due to its buoyancy The unflexed crust represents either a phase change of mantle to crustal material or intrusion into the lower crust. From the basic equations of flexure and isostasy, a more general form of equilibrium equation is developed and can be interpreted as an addition of an elastic flexure term to the isostatic equations or an addition of a term accounting for changes in the crustal column to the presently used flexure equations. The study of simple models indicates that the most reliable parameter in estimating flexural rigidity is the wavelength of the flexure. 1~en elastic flexure and buoyancy of added crust are considered in relation to the Hawaiian Ridge at Oahu, a plausible case is made for the presence of both. The new interpretation results in a reduction in tensile stress at the base of the lithosphere but the stress still seems sufficient to cause fracture. On the other hand, second study results indicate that for long term surface loading, the lithosphere should not be modeled as a purely elastic structure. The study utilizes the finite element method and a non-linear steady state creep equation. It is assumed that any element in which creep strain is greater than the elastic strain is fluid and no longer contributes to the elastic support of the load. A set of tests on a model approximating a half space indicates that creep is initially concentrated under the load at depths of 80-250 km primarily because that is where the homologous temperature reaches its maximum, especially under wet conditions. With increasing time and load, fluid conditions spread outward revealing a lithosphere-asthenosphere structure. A second series of tests on an 80 km thick plate overlying a fluid showed that, over time periods on the order of 105-106 years, there is significant creep in the lower lithosphere. These tests lead to an alternative model of flexure of a viscous lithosphere. According to this model the flexural rigidity of the lithosphere decreases because a thinning portion of lithosphere elastically supports the load. The creep process continues until a final state is reached where the elastic portion of the lithosphere is about 10-30 km thick. Comparison with data around the Hawaiian Islands indicates that the flexural response of almost all of the load is in the final state and thus does not produce any stress at depths of 60 km, the depth of magma origin. This interpretation casts serious doubts on the hypothesis of island chain formation by fracture due to surface loading

Seismic studies on Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii Island

This volume contains reports on seismological studies done in conjunction with other geophysical and geochemical studies of the Hawaii Geothermal Project. The studies were conducted on the easternmost portion of the East Rift Zone of Kilauea Volcano, near the eventual site of the initial well, HGP-A, drilled by the Hawaii Geothermal Project. The microearthquake survey by Suyenaga and Furumoto found, among other patterns of seismicity, a small cluster of events at 1-to 3-km depth in the immediate vicinity of HGP-A. Another microearthquake survey conducted by Mattice and Furumoto over a high electrical conductivity anomaly located west of HGP-A found it to be probably more seismically active than the area around the well site. Norris and Furumoto contoured noise levels but found no local amplification at any frequency associated with the geothermal reservoir. However, noise may be associated with magmatic activity. The crustal structure of the area was studied with two sets of seismic refraction profiles reported by Suyenaga and by Broyles. The surface layer has a low but highly variable velocity (0.8 to 1.6 km/sec) and consists of interlayered aa and pahoehoe flows with large voids. A jump in velocity to 2.5 to 3.0 km/sec occurs near sea level and is attributed to saturation of water. A layer of velocity about 5.0 km/sec lies between the 3.0-km/sec and a 7.0-km/sec layer. The latter is interpreted as the dike complex and locally is found as shallow as 2 to 2.5 km. Furumoto combines microearthquake, source mechanism, gravity and thermal data into an interpretation of the process of geothermal reservoir formation in the East Rift Zone.Prepared for NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION, Grant GI-38319 and ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY, Grant E(04-3)-1093

SNP Discovery in Pooled Samples With Mismatch Repair Detection

A targeted discovery effort is required to identify low frequency single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in human coding and regulatory regions. We here describe combining mismatch repair detection (MRD) with dideoxy terminator sequencing to detect SNPs in pooled DNA samples. MRD enriches for variant alleles in the pooled sample, and sequencing determines the nature of the variants. By using a genomic DNA pool as a template, ∼100 fragments were amplified and subsequently combined and subjected en masse to the MRD procedure. The variant-enriched pool from this one MRD reaction is enriched for the population variants of all the tested fragments. Each fragment was amplified from the variant-enriched pool and sequenced, allowing the discovery of alleles with frequencies as low as 1% in the initial population. Our results support that MRD-based SNP discovery can be used for large-scale discovery of SNPs at low frequencies in a population

Multiplexed variation scanning for 1,000 amplicons in hundreds of patients using mismatch repair detection (MRD) on tag arrays

Identification of the genetic basis of common disease may require comprehensive sequence analysis of coding regions and regulatory elements in patients and controls to find genetic effects caused by rare or heterogeneous mutations. In this study, we demonstrate how mismatch repair detection on tag arrays can be applied in a case-control study. Mismatch repair detection allows >1,000 amplicons to be screened for variations in a single laboratory reaction. Variation scanning in 939 amplicons, mostly in coding regions within a linkage peak, was done for 372 patients and 404 controls. In total, >180 Mb of DNA was scanned. Several variants more prevalent in patients than in controls were identified. This study demonstrates an approach to the discovery of susceptibility genes for common disease: large-scale direct sequence comparison between patients and controls. We believe this approach can be scaled up to allow sequence comparison in the whole-genome coding regions among large sets of cases and controls at a reasonable cost in the near future